Best Child Development Schools Near Wilmington, NC (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Wilmington, North Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs, with tuition ranging from $2,578 to $14,929 per year for indexed programs. Wilmington has a population of about 118,578. Median household income is $63,900 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 45.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Wilmington, NC metro area, the top-earning child development-related role is Child, Family, and School Social Workers at a median $62,710 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Wilmington

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer child development programs near Wilmington, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Wilmington city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Wilmington. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Brunswick Community College

Bolivia, NC 22.9 miles from Wilmington
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
54.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 39%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,668
Avg net price $9,009/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 20

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

James Sprunt Community College

Kenansville, NC 51.2 miles from Wilmington
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
48.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 44%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $29,307
Avg net price $1,863/yr
Tuition
In‑state$2,592
Out‑of‑state$8,736
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 22

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Bladen Community College

Dublin, NC 56.8 miles from Wilmington
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
35.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 24%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $30,591
Avg net price $9,551/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 21

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Robeson Community College

Lumberton, NC 71.5 miles from Wilmington
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
49.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 37%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $29,036
Avg net price $2,892/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 26

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Lenoir Community College

Kinston, NC 73.0 miles from Wilmington
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
49.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 33%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $33,866
Avg net price $4,127/yr
Tuition
In‑state$2,578
Out‑of‑state$8,722
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Craven Community College

New Bern, NC 76.6 miles from Wilmington
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
57.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 37%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,231
Avg net price $3,289/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 27

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Wayne Community College

Goldsboro, NC 82.5 miles from Wilmington
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
53.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 40%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,148
Avg net price $2,245/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 39

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Fayetteville Technical Community College

Fayetteville, NC 83.8 miles from Wilmington
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
45.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $31,861
Avg net price $3,589/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 72

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all North Carolina schools on the North Carolina child development page.

Child Development Wages Near Wilmington

Wilmington is part of the Wilmington, NC metro area (BLS area code 48900). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to North Carolina statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education $34,880 Wilmington, NC $36,183
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $57,720 Wilmington, NC $59,876
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $62,710 Wilmington, NC $65,052
Childcare Workers $29,040 Wilmington, NC $30,124
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $60,180 NC statewide $62,427
Social and Human Service Assistants $48,280 Wilmington, NC $50,083
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $53,180 NC statewide $55,166
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $54,620 Wilmington, NC $56,660

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Wilmington at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 118,578 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $63,900 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 45.8% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 96.4 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Wilmington-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited child development schools are near Wilmington, NC?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near Wilmington. The closest is Brunswick Community College in Bolivia, NC (22.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Lenoir Community College (73.0 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying child development roles near Wilmington?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Wilmington are: Child, Family, and School Social Workers ($62,710), Special Education Teachers, Preschool ($60,180), Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare ($57,720). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with North Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Jacksonville instead of Wilmington?

Jacksonville, NC is 45.6 miles from Wilmington and has its own set of local child development programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Wilmington an affordable place to study child development?

Wilmington’s median household income of $63,900 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Wilmington while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and North Carolina public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Child Development Programs

Other Programs Available in Wilmington

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Wilmington:

Data verified: September 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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